The trail of Remy Ma began in New York yesterday, with the rapper's lawyer claiming the shooting in July last year was "a tragic accident". Ma, real name Remy Smith, is accused of shooting another woman, Makeda Barnes Joseph, twice in a dispute over money. She's been charged with first-degree assault.
The prosecution say Smith shot Joseph twice, and then sped off into the night. Their case is very much based on the testimony of Joseph, but defence lawyer Ivan Fisher says her version of events is wrong, arguing that she has changed her story since she originally testified to a grand jury earlier in the case. He said that in fact there had been a struggle between Joseph and Smith over the gun, and that it had gone off by accident during that struggle.
He also argued that Joseph had changed her testimony against his client when she had been told she could pursue a civil lawsuit against Smith in relation to the incident seeking up to $20 million in damages. That civil case, however, has since been dropped.
Smith faces up to 25 years in prison if found guilty of the charges. The case continues.